Protect Mobile Agins :

Protect Mobile Agins T:
PROTECT YOUR CELLPHONE AGAINST Protecting Your Cell Phone Secure your mobile devices using the following steps. Phone/SIM Locks Most modern cell offer multiple levels of locks simi?lar to the in PCs. While it may be inconvenient, you should seriously consider -locking your phone, especially if you are on the move for an extended period of time. The first, of course, is the SIM card PIN . You will normal?ly be given a PIN when you purchase your SIM card. Actually you will be given four sets of when you purchase the phone: PIN1, PIN2, PUK1, and PUK2. PIN1 activates your phone when you first switch it on. PIN2 is used when you need to access some advanced func?tions. PUK1 is used if you forget or enter the wrong PIN1 . If you enter the wrong PIN1 three times, the SIM card locks and you will need to enter the PUK1 to unlock it and reset your PIN1 . If you lose your PUK , there is no other recourse than to get a new SIM card from your cell phone serv?ice provider. PUK2 is similar to PUK1, and is used for PIN2. Along with the above, you should also consider locking your phone with a phone-specific security . This will effectively stop anyone from accessing the phone if they do not know the . Even if they switch off the phone, remove the SIM and replace it with another, they will still be unable to access the phone without the security . One other msure is to use a guard for locking your phone. Most cell support automatic locking of the pad after a period of inactivity. This prevents dialling if the get inadvertently depressed when in your pocket. You will have to press a combination of (: Menu *) to unlock the phone or to manually lock it. You can set your phone to require a when you unlock your pad. Also make it a habit to manually lock your phone immediately after a call. Sometimes, the guard will fail to kick in as some has alrdy been accidentally depressed before the guard acti?vation time-out. In a scenario where a thief stls your phone and tries to make a call, the guard will block access on an alrdy-powered on phone. On restarting, the PIN request for the SIM will thwart him. If the SIM is changed, the phone's security will also block access. The phone will become practically useless to the thief. You can rest assured that all your personal data will be protected, even though you may not be to recover it! Also, the thief could attempt to reset the security by calling the cell phone vendor's customer service and pretending to be the owner. To prevent that, inform them of the theft as well as your mobile phone's IMEI .IMEI is short for International Mobile Equipment Identity. Every mobile device in the world has a unique . The IMEI will be usually found under the battery slab, Many will also display the IMEI if you in *#06#. Of course, you will need to take this precaution beforehand and store the IMEI in a safe place?not on your cell phone, and not in your wallet! If you have a phone, forgotten your security , and have the IMEI , you can go to http://nfader. z-host.ru/ and erate a master security using your phone IMEI . You can use the master security to override your personal security and gain access to your mobile. You can then reset the security as required Bluetooth Bluetooth is grt. You can snap pictures, take clips with your camera phone, transfer it to your laptop, or bm it across to a friend's mobile. However, if you do not secure Bluetooth access on your phone, it is sily "discoverable" by other Bluetooth devices in the immediate vicinity. A person with a Bluetooth?enabled device can send you unsolicited messages, transfer virus?es and worms to your phone, or even gain access and stl your personal data and / or corrupt it. An experienced Bluetooth er can gain access to your mobile phone commands, using it to make phone calls, send expensive international SMS messages, write entries into your phonebook, vesdrop on your conversa?tions, and even gain access to the Internet. Bluetooth criminals are known to roam neighbourhoods with powerful Bluetooth detectors that srch for Bluetooth enabled cell , PDAs, and laptops. They are known to fit laptops with powerful antennas that can pick up Bluetooth devices from with?in a range of 800 metres! The latest tactic is to force Bluetooth devices in hidden mode to pair with the attacker's device. This, however, is very labour-intensive, and is most often used against known targets who have large bank accounts or expensive secrets. How it works Almost all cases of Bluetooth attacks are a result of improper setup of the Bluetooth device. In most cases, Bluetooth devices are con?figured at security level 1, where there is no encryption or authen?tiion. This enables the attacker to request information from the device that will be helpful in stling it.Once stolen, not only is the data on the device compromised, it will also compromise the data on all devices trusted by it. This can then be used to vesdrop on conversations between other devices.Additionally, Bluetooth uses the Service Discovery Protocol (SDP) to determine what services are offered by what devices in range. Attackers can use this information to launch service-specif?ic attacks on any of the devices.If the attacker is able to obtain the link and the address?ing of two communiing devices, he can launch a man-in-the?middle type of attack where all information is routed through the attacker's device.Attackers can also vesdrop on devices that are pairing up for the first time. This will give the attacker sufficient information to use an aorithm to guess the security and pretend to be the other device. Avoiding It Securing your Bluetooth phone is sy. Take these few simple steps to ensure that your device is protected from Bluetooth attacks. Switch off Bluetooth when you are not using it. This will pre?vent unauthorised access for the most part. Only enable Bluetooth when you are actively transferring data from or to another device. Use a strong PIN , one that is at lst six to eight digits or longer. Many devices offer tons of ftures to maximise the usability of your Bluetooth connections. Review the documentation and dis?able all that are a security risk, and pay special attention to the security settings. Use encryption by default and only disable it if the device you are communiing with doesn't support it. Ensure that Bluetooth is running in hidden mode. When you are pairing it with another device, like a hdset, you will need to run it in discoverable mode. Do this in a secure loion like inside your or home. Once the link has been established, go back to hidden mode. If for some rson the pairing brks when in a public place, wait till you are in a secure loion before re-pairing the two devices. Be aware of where you are. If you are in an open, public place, it is best to disable Bluetooth. Public wireless hotspots are a favourite hangout of "Bluejackers